Page 35 of House of Lilith

I breathe a sigh of relief. And it’s firm and gentle at the same time, his shake. Still smiling, he keeps looking at me as I pull my hand out. Then his eyes dart to the ring.

He clears his throat, turning serious. There’s a second of silence before he says, “I was told there’d be a Nikolay coming to meet me.”

“My brother,” I reply with a nod. “He’s busy so he sent me.” Then it occurs to me. “And sorry if I’m late, this was a last-minute change of plans.” I glance around the crowded Hall, shrugging my shoulders as I turn my eyes back onto him. “Also, my fiance will be picking me up soon, so I might not have as much time as I normally would.”

“Ah yeah,” he says with a tip of his head, “I’ve heard about the royal engagement. Congratulations,” he adds, giving me a smile. Then he looks around as well, turning serious again. “But I don’t want to be an inconvenience. I can just go chill somewhere and get to know the place at my own pace.”

“No,” I tell him, shaking my head, “someone has to show you around.”

“I won’t tell ifyoudon’t,” he says with a slight smile.

I just look at him for a second. “It’s the rules.”

His eyes narrow. “Ah,” he says softly. “Well, if that’s the case...” Smiling, he gestures for me to lead the way.

And for some reason, they make me self-conscious, the look and the smile, as if there was something unspoken there.

But I just nod, saying, “Yeah, let’s get started.” And I turn on my heel and start walking across the Entrance Hall and in the direction of Level One, avoiding the students passing by and sensing him fall into step with me.

It’s only once we’ve almost passed the archway that it occurs to me he might not even know the basics. And I slow down to motion at it. “So, that right there is the cafeteria,” I tell him.

I move to pick up the pace again, motioning ahead, “And right over there—”

It surprises me, when he walks around me, blocking my way with his large frame. “Wait,” he starts with a smile, “aren’t we taking a look inside?”

I frown. “What for? It’s a standard cafeteria.”

He throws me a funny little look, his eyebrows shooting up. “Really?” he asks as this smile dances on his lips. He motions at the fountains. “And what’rethose?”

It makes me press my lips tight. “Soda fountains,” I admit, however begrudgingly. “They’re soda fountains.”

He blows a laugh through his nose. And it makes my cheeks burn, having my privilege checked like that.

But then he just says, “It’s fine, we don’t have to go in.” He gives me a smile, “I’m putting myself in your hands.”

For a second, I just look at him. “Perfect,” I finally say, feeling myself turn a bit colder.

And I continue moving across the Entrance Hall, him coming to walk beside me again. Feeling this need to cut the tour as short as possible, I start calculating the most effective route to get it done.

“So,” I say as soon as we reach the stairs to the gallery and start climbing them, “we have four levels here at the Academy. Right now, we’re climbing to Level One.”

It’s at that exact moment that my vampiric hearing registers something. I stop and I don’t turn to look at him, but I hold my right hand out to so he’ll stop as well, saying, “Watch out.”

He does, and the next thing I know, I see this mini water torrent coming straight at us from Level One.

We both rush to glue ourselves to the left side of the staircase railing as this fae guy barges out of one of the hallways above, rushing down as he uses his Runes to turn the water into vapor, shouting, “Sorry sorry sorry.”

There are snickers all around us, and I’m lifting my dress, the hem of which has been soaked through, but then my eyes get drawn to my right, where Howe is standing on a lower step, his eyes on the soaked hem.

He looks up, that smile dancing on his lips again, the one that makes me feel as if he’s holding something back.

I tear my eyes away, going back to climbing.

“What year are you in?” I hear him ask as he catches up with me.

It makes me frown. “Third.”

But we’re stepping onto the gallery and I don’t want to be engaging in any unnecessary chit-chat, so I change the subject, motioning at the web of hallways to the right. “I don’t know which classes in particular you’re taking this year, but most of them will be held somewhere in these hallways.”

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